Before I can go to France with the BYU Institute for the month of July, we are required to take three weeks of preparatory classes on BYU campus. In these classes, we talk about French culture and how we are going to share what we learn and observe abroad with our students in the Fall. The five of us are all reading a novel about some aspect of French culture. Each day in class, we share a bit about what we learned the night before. Today, we had a discussion about shutters on windows versus open windows. Generally speaking, the French have shutters on the windows of their homes. These shutters are usually closed. They also have fences surrounding their yards.
Americans, on the other hand, often have open windows and yards that extend right out into the street. We welcome visitors with long driveways and wreathes on the front door. The curtains are almost always pulled back during the day. At night, it is not uncommon to be able to peer into the neighbor's home and see movies playing or kids running around. This says a lot about the differences in culture. Americans are usually more open than the French. At lunch with other teachers, I often hear them share how much they paid for their house or car. We write blogs that the world can read. I feel that I am a pretty open person. The French, however, are often more private. I took a picture of a bakery worker at BYU a few years ago and when she heard it was to show to my high school students for a Compare/Contrast culture lesson, she was happy to help out. When I tried to get a similar picture of a bakery girl in France, she became very upset. She didn't want her picture taken for whoever it may be. I learned that if I wanted pictures of people there, I had to sneakily take their picture and then ask for forgiveness later, if they saw me. Do you consider yourself a more open or private person? Are the shutters on your life closed, except to a special, select few or open to the world?
Another difference in culture is the way we eat. The French love to take their time at dinner. It is not unusual for them to take 2 hours to enjoy a 6-course meal, ending with cheese and dessert. They have small portions, but they enjoy each bite. Because life in France is generally more relaxed, I love eating at a restaurant or cafe there. The servers are paid a set salary and do not depend on tips as they do here. A tip is not required after a meal, but is included in the price. You are allowed to purchase a simple drink or pastry and then sit at that table as long as you would like. The servers don't rush you out. I tried this three years ago. I sat at a cafe and enjoyed my crème brulée. I forced myself to stay and people watch for about two hours. It was not easy, being from a rush rush American lifestyle, to sit and do nothing, but I rather liked it for a day.
Americans often don't have time to cook a variety of dishes for dinner. We prefer a big bowl of spaghetti or Easy Mac that we can quickly eat and then get back to whatever we were doing. We are too rushed to put time into glamorous place settings. We love drive-in fast food restaurants and even eat in our cars. If you look at the packaged and frozen food aisle in the USA, it is three times as large as those in France. France, on the other hand, has several more fresh cheeses, yogurts and breads than we do. These products have an expiration date that might last one or two days. I never saw high fructose corn syrup in any of their labeling. I don't like this aspect of American culture. I would rather find time to cook my own meals from scratch, though it is not easy to do. Well, these are my observation along with some of the books we have been reading. Do you agree with these stereotypes?
Before I can go to France with the BYU Institute for the month of July, we are required to take three weeks of preparatory classes on BYU campus. In these classes, we talk about French culture and how we are going to share what we learn and observe abroad with our students in the Fall. The five of us are all reading a novel about some aspect of French culture. Each day in class, we share a bit about what we learned the night before. Today, we had a discussion about shutters on windows versus open windows. Generally speaking, the French have shutters on the windows of their homes. These shutters are usually closed. They also have fences surrounding their yards. 
Americans, on the other hand, often have open windows and yards that extend right out into the street. We welcome visitors with long driveways and wreathes on the front door. The curtains are almost always pulled back during the day. At night, it is not uncommon to be able to peer into the neighbor's home and see movies playing or kids running around. This says a lot about the differences in culture. Americans are usually more open than the French. At lunch with other teachers, I often hear them share how much they paid for their house or car. We write blogs that the world can read. I feel that I am a pretty open person. The French, however, are often more private. I took a picture of a bakery worker at BYU a few years ago and when she heard it was to show to my high school students for a Compare/Contrast culture lesson, she was happy to help out. When I tried to get a similar picture of a bakery girl in France, she became very upset. She didn't want her picture taken for whoever it may be. I learned that if I wanted pictures of people there, I had to sneakily take their picture and then ask for forgiveness later, if they saw me. Do you consider yourself a more open or private person? Are the shutters on your life closed, except to a special, select few or open to the world?
Another difference in culture is the way we eat. The French love to take their time at dinner. It is not unusual for them to take 2 hours to enjoy a 6-course meal, ending with cheese and dessert. They have small portions, but they enjoy each bite. Because life in France is generally more relaxed, I love eating at a restaurant or cafe there. The servers are paid a set salary and do not depend on tips as they do here. A tip is not required after a meal, but is included in the price. You are allowed to purchase a simple drink or pastry and then sit at that table as long as you would like. The servers don't rush you out. I tried this three years ago. I sat at a cafe and enjoyed my crème brulée. I forced myself to stay and people watch for about two hours. It was not easy, being from a rush rush American lifestyle, to sit and do nothing, but I rather liked it for a day.
Americans often don't have time to cook a variety of dishes for dinner. We prefer a big bowl of spaghetti or Easy Mac that we can quickly eat and then get back to whatever we were doing. We are too rushed to put time into glamorous place settings. We love drive-in fast food restaurants and even eat in our cars. If you look at the packaged and frozen food aisle in the USA, it is three times as large as those in France. France, on the other hand, has several more fresh cheeses, yogurts and breads than we do. These products have an expiration date that might last one or two days. I never saw high fructose corn syrup in any of their labeling. I don't like this aspect of American culture. I would rather find time to cook my own meals from scratch, though it is not easy to do. Well, these are my observation along with some of the books we have been reading. Do you agree with these stereotypes?
I love learning about French culture. There are a lot of similarities to German culture.
ReplyDeleteGermans are also very private. Sadly, a lot of people associate Germans with WWII and the Nazis. So there is often this stereotype that Germans are mean, closed-off people that never smile or laugh. They also tend to be very blunt and speak their mind. If you ever want an honest opinion, ask a German.
It can be really hard to make friends with Germans since it takes time to gain their trust and build a friendship. I have a deep love for the Germans. They are like porcupines. They can be prickly on the outside but soft in the inside. They are really nice once you get to know them and they do have a unique sense of humor.
Sure there are some mean Germans, but I think every country has mean and nice people.
The Germans in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints seem more open and friendly. Maybe some of the American culture from some of the American missionaries has influenced them to be more open?
There are some shutters on houses in Germany but shutters are not as common as in France or Italy. Germans often have these blinds on the outside of their windows. They have them up during the day but close them at night time. Check out this youtube to see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KePLmie7lE
Germans don't have 6 course meals like the French. They usually have something hot for lunch and for dinner they have "Abendbrot" which is translated as "evening bread." Basically they have slices of bread with different slices of meats and cheeses. It's probably healthy to eat something light at night. But I personally like to have something hot for dinner before I go to bed :)
I love how a lot of food in Germany is really fresh. All natural, no additives, no food coloring, no preservatives, no corn syrup, etc. I agree with you, I also don't like a lot of the fast food, frozen food, food with high fructose corn syrup that is available in the states.
Sorry for the long comment. I love to compare cultures. Once a week there is this show on TV that compares German and French culture. It is so interesting and entertaining to watch.
Thanks for the fun and interesting blog post. Good luck with your last preparations for your trip to France! I wish I could meet up with you in France, but we are saving our pennies for the states. So I hope to meet up with you in Utah ;)
Interesting, Brittany. The Germans do sound very similar to the French, when you put it that way. Maybe some of these traits are European, in general. Porcupines are a good analogy. The French have been referred to as baguettes--hard and crusty on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside. You just have to figure out how to get inside.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the church missionaries have influenced the French as well. One example is with home teaching. The French would normally not let anyone into their homes because they are so private. If you are a member of the church, though, you have to learn to accept that often perfect strangers will be coming by to visit and share a message, even if it is unusual.
How cool that the Germans also prefer fresh ingredients in their foods! We can learn a lot by sharing what other people do. Thanks for reading and sharing your perspective, girl! I will look forward to seeing you guys in Utah!
Sometimes I wonder what traits are really German and what traits are European in general. It's always interesting to me to see what things France and Germany have in common and what things are really different.
ReplyDeleteHave you been into a lot of French homes? What is the ward like that you go to in France?
It will be fun to see you in Utah ;)